If you thought I was excited BEFORE about the new Katie Melua album and single, you should see me now. Katie Melua’s former producer Mike Batt tweeted about a little sneak preview of the The House posted on Dramatico’s YouTube Channel. Previewed here we have 5 songs from the new album (Due May 24th in the UK, August 3rd in the US). First single “The Flood” is released on May 17th in the UK.
The first is a typical Katie Melua ballad called “I’d Love To Kill You.” By typical i don’t mean bad. I just mean that there’s no evidence of William Orbit’s signature sound on the track. From the minute of the song that I can hear, it’s beautiful…very melodic. It maybe sounds like an unreleased track from Pictures. The video shows Melua singing/recording the song live…though I’m not sure where and when this was shot.
Next we are treated to “The Flood,” although not just the song. We are given a special sneak peek at Melua filming the what looks to be GORGEOUS music video. The intro to “The Flood” still sounds like Standard Katie Melua-fare, which again isn’t a bad thing. But when the song hits the two minute mark it launches into something COMPLETELY different and unexpected. Definitely a good thing!
The clip of the next song, “A Happy Place” starts off with Melua hitting high notes in what sounds like a beautifully haunting track. The song quickly shifts tempos and becomes more dancey and fun. The accompanying video features a little bit of Melua recording the song and a sped of montage sequence of London at night. What I am really loving about this “new sound” is that even when the beats become faster and more experimental, Melua’s crisp, clear vocals still remain the primary focus of the track. The production only serves as an enhancement.
“A Moment of Madness” and “Red Balloons” round out the sneak preview. Both tracks are beautifully sung and in a more laid back style both production-wise as well as vocally. Melua’s vocals have the tendency to float over top of the melody in such a beautiful way. Thank you Dramatico for posting this taste of Katie Melua’s The House. It was the PERFECT little teaser. Oh…be on the lookout for remixes of “The Flood” by Danny Kirsch. Can’t wait!